WELLINGTON, New Zealand: New Zealand's government is planning to tighten deportation, asylum, and immigration enforcement rules with legislation it intends to introduce on March 18.

Immigration ‌Minister Erica Stanford said the changes were needed ​to tackle serious offending, migrant exploitation, and bad-faith claims.

Stanford said the changes would give authorities the right level of power to deal with immigration risks while keeping the system fair and effective.

The bill would increase the time during which a resident can be deported for serious crimes from 10 years to 20 years. It would also raise the maximum punishment for exploiting migrants from seven years to 10 years, and give officials more power to act against people who provide false or misleading information during the immigration process.

The bill still needs to go through three readings in parliament, but it is expected to pass because the government has a majority.

This move is part of a wider global trend in which governments are tightening immigration and asylum systems. They are facing pressure to prevent misuse, deport non-citizens who commit serious crimes, and maintain public support for refugee protection.

Along with the bill, the government will introduce another proposal suggesting more changes to asylum rules. These include allowing officials to consider serious crimes committed in New Zealand before deciding whether someone qualifies as a refugee.

Stanford said that 14 known refugee applicants in New Zealand had been convicted of serious crimes, including murder, major sexual and drug offences, and arson.

Other proposed changes would allow authorities to act more quickly against people seen as acting in bad faith, such as those seeking attention to support their asylum claims and those who miss biometric appointments without a valid reason.